A clearinghouse of news and events about historic Route 66, the Mother Road.

Springfield, Mo., will use crowdsourcing to fund Route 66 park

The City of Springfield, Mo., announced it will use crowdsourcing via CrowdIt.com to fund some of the building of a Route 66-themed roadside park, according to a news release Thursday.

Crowdsourcing is a low-risk way to raise money for projects. Crowdsourcing Route 66 projects through Kickstarter.com, for example, has shown erratic response. But the fact CrowdIt.com is based in Springfield and has successfully funded other projects give this effort some hope.

From the news release:

As the birthplace of Route 66, Springfield is the first municipality to use crowdfunding to help renovate the renowned national highway. CrowdIt was selected because of its local Springfield roots and early growing success in the crowdfunding market.

“Citizens have asked how they can help renovate the birthplace of the historic Route 66 highway,” said Springfield Mayor Bob Stephens. “By enlisting the support of the community with citizen donations through Crowdit (a local supporter, employer and business), we feel we are helping play an important role in restoring the very essence of what Route 66 symbolizes – a piece of America that runs through the heart of our country. Route 66 has touched so many people and they want to be a part of the legacy of what this highway means to America.”

City officials will be on hand at Springfield’s Route 66 Festival, which takes place 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10 at Springfield’s Park Central Square to provide additional information about the initiative. CrowdIt will be donating all the proceeds received to the renovation project. For more information on how to get involved or if you are a local business looking to support the community renovation project, please visit: (https://www.crowdit.com/home/contact). For example, Mother’s Brewing Company (http://mothersbrewing.com/) is the first local company to partner with CrowdIt and the city to help make this project a success.

More about the Route 66 Roadside Park in Springfield may be found here. The park is part of the city’s College Street revitalization plan.